More than a dozen food companies were charged yesterday with ripping off city schoolkids of more than $20 million in lunch money.

In all, the Justice Department charged 13 food companies and 22 people with rigging bids on contracts for the supply and delivery of more than $210 million in food to the Board of Education, the country’s single largest purchaser of food besides the Department of Defense.

The suspected conspirators “operated somewhat like organized crime,” said FBI Assistant Director Barry Mawn. “They had secret meetings. They had secret agreements and they used the tactics to control the marketplace and stifle competition.”

Joel Klein, of the department’s Antitrust Division, called the alleged conspiracies to steal from schoolchildren “despicable.”

“These cases put an end to long-standing, sophisticated conspiracies that have gouged … public dollars from the Board of Education,” he said. “These conspirators overcharged the board by many millions of dollars. This money should have been spent on the schoolchildren of New York, not to line the pockets of greedy vendors.”

According to the Justice Department, the bid-rigging “involved almost all of the [board’s] suppliers of frozen food … and nearly all of its suppliers of fresh produce.”

The indictments charge that the companies “formed and carried out conspiracies,” deciding which firm would get the bid, while the others would intentionally not bid or submit intentionally high offers on the contracts. The “losing” bidders would then get cash, profits, or free merchandise for stepping aside, officials said. In one instance, a produce supplier was paid $100,000 for stepping aside.

So far, officials said, 12 of the individuals and six of the companies charged have agreed to plead guilty. The defendants face up to 10 years in prison and substantial fines.

Some of those charged were hit with additional bid-rigging charges for food delivered to city hospitals, jails and homeless shelters, and to public schools in New Jersey and on Long Island.

A spokesman for the city, Kurt Ritter, stressed the indictments won’t “impede the supply of food” to those in need. He added that the city will sever its ties to the indicted companies as soon as possible.

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy said the board cooperated fully with the two-year Justice Department investigation, and added that, “as a taxpayer, I’m angered” by the charges.

He said the board has taken action to “prevent repetition of the problem,” and that while the Justice Department is already seeking restitution on behalf of the city, the board might also take civil action against the companies.